Do you really understand your customers?

July 6, 2015

It really doesn't matter how well you know the 'what' if what you really need to know is the 'why'. The gap between knowledge and comprehension is never greater than when you need to be able to answer the really important questions - those that test your true understanding of your customers. Knowing who they are is one thing but truly knowing what makes them tick is another.

It is an issue that has been highlighted many times since the Investor in Customers (IIC) standard was introduced in 2006. We ask your customers exactly what they think of you.

The four guiding principles at IIC are:

Understand customer needs

Meet customer needs

Delight Customers

Engender loyalty

Under each of these headings are further, more detailed questions and it is from within these levels that two interesting facts have arisen.

The highest scores are generated by questions about 'knowing the customer' and the lowest scores are around the theme 'understand the customer'.

Working with us enables you to really drill down and find out areas which highlight not only where you could improve and perform better, but also areas that you are doing well. It is a well-known fact that businesses who are committed to customer loyalty outperform their competitors in terms of profitability.

It is also vital to ask employees their views too. When a customer says 'you don't understand...' then that should raise alarm bells. If an employee says 'I don't think we understand...' then that's when not only alarm bells should ring but sirens and flashing lights too!

That said we also ask the opinions of senior management too. Now in a smaller business when its all hands on deck, management are well aware of day to day issues. However in larger companies, this is often different. Senior management need to be aware and on board with regards to the customer experience within their company for the company to really be able to differentiate itself from its competitors and offer a truly remarkable customer experience.

Customers (and staff) are key to creating profitable relationships. We find that companies who excel in customer service are continually looking for better ways of delivering quality service in more cost effective ways - and one of the best ways of doing this is to understand the customer.